The Message of Christmas

I read a fascinating story about TV anchorman, Tom Brokaw. Brokaw was wandering through Bloomingdale’s department store in New York City one day, shortly after he was promoted to co-host on the Today Show. The Today Show was a pinnacle for Brokaw after years of work, first in Omaha, then for NBC in Los Angeles and Washington. He was feeling good about himself. He noticed a man watching him closely. The man kept staring at him and finally, when the man approached him, Brokaw was sure he was about to reap the first fruits of being a New York City television celebrity. The man pointed his finger and said, “Tom Brokaw, right?” “Right,” said Brokaw. “You used to do the morning news on KMTV in Omaha, right?” “That’s right,” said Brokaw, getting set for the accolades to follow. “I knew it the minute I spotted you,” the fellow said. Then he paused and added, “Whatever happened to you?”

The Lord will always place people in our lives to help us keep perspective; to help us experience true humility like Jesus modeled. Jesus our king was born in humility, as a common ordinary child, in a smelly stable among common people. His first visitors were not royalty, but humble shepherds. The king of the universe, though He was God…gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  And the bible tells us we must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Phil 2:5-7)

This is the message of Christmas; our King humbled himself and became a man. And it did not stop there…he continued to humble himself and went to the cross to pay the price of our sins, and He is now exalted by our Father in heaven.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this weekend, let us trust him for grace to walk in humility and receive afresh His life within, and humbly give this life to all who are open to receive. Christmas is the perfect time to think about the reality of Christ, the humble servant, who is our Lord and King and now lives within us! Now that’s a humbling reality.

Rick Warren once said: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Let’s think more about Him this Christmas and less about us. It’s all about perspective.